Is Tumbleweed Elementary a good school?

Tumbleweed Elementary ranks in the bottom 23.6% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Tumbleweed Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 624 students attended Tumbleweed Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Tumbleweed Elementary?

Students at Tumbleweed Elementary are 75% Hispanic, 19% African American, 3% Two or more races, 2% White.

What schools do graduates of Tumbleweed Elementary attend?

Students who attend Tumbleweed Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy High : Palmdale High

Tumbleweed Elementary

Summary:

Tumbleweed Elementary is a public elementary school in Palmdale, California, serving 623 students in grades K-5. Unfortunately, the school has consistently ranked in the bottom 25% of California elementary schools over the past decade, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Tumbleweed Elementary significantly underperforms the Palmdale Elementary district and the state of California in standardized test scores across all grade levels and subjects. For example, in 2023-2024, only 28.52% of Tumbleweed students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 27.55% for the Palmdale district and 47.04% statewide. The school also struggles with high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 17.1% to 46.6% over the past several years, and has an extremely high percentage of students (over 95%) eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high-poverty student population.

While Tumbleweed Elementary's performance is generally lower than most of the nearby schools in the Palmdale Elementary district, including Manzanita Elementary, Palm Tree Elementary, and Palmdale Learning Plaza, the school's low academic performance, high chronic absenteeism, and high-poverty student population suggest that it faces significant challenges in providing a quality education to its students. Addressing these issues will require a comprehensive, data-driven approach and a commitment to supporting the school's students and community.

Detail:

Public K-5

1100 East Avenue R-4
Palmdale, CA 93550-6185

(661) 273-4166

District: Palmdale Elementary

SchoolDigger Rank:
4481^st of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $330

Students who attend Tumbleweed Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Space Aeronautics Gateway to Exploration Magnet Academy
High:	Palmdale High

Student/teacher ratio: 27.2

Number of students: 624

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

75.0%

African American:

19.2%

Two or more races:

2.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 95.8%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Tumbleweed Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Tumbleweed Elementary ranks worse than 76.4% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 7^th among 20 ranked elementary schools in the Palmdale Elementary School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 23.81. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (75%), African American (19.2%), two or more races (2.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 95.8% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Tumbleweed Elementary is 27.2. 20 elementary schools in the Palmdale Elementary School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Tumbleweed Elementary employs 22.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Tumbleweed Elementary is $330. 11 elementary schools in the Palmdale Elementary School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Tumbleweed Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Tumbleweed Elementary 4481^st of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Tumbleweed Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

Palmdale Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Palmdale Elementary 1346^th of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Tumbleweed Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Tumbleweed Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	11.68	4577^th	4809	4.8%
2005	13.17	4448^th	4822	7.8%
2006	10.13	4625^th	4818	4.0%
2007	8.05	5009^th	5113	2.0%
2008	9.61	4937^th	5113	3.4%
2009	8.02	5076^th	5193	2.3%
2010	7.77	5223^rd	5314	1.7%
2011	21.87	4546^th	5377	15.5%
2012	27.63	4123^rd	5390	23.5%
2013	29.48	4090^th	5530	26.0%
2015	29.85	3710^th	5611	33.9%
2016	24.69	4203^rd	5614	25.1%
2017	19.91	4703^rd	5692	17.4%
2018	15.38	5057^th	5662	10.7%
2019	18.06	4989^th	5789	13.8%
2022	22.61	4586^th	5883	22.0%
2023	23.47	4512^th	5874	23.2%
2024	23.81	4481^st	5862	23.6%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Tumbleweed Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	26.77	2604^th	3246	19.8%
2019	39.01	1841^st	3275	43.8%
2022	38.72	1896^th	3311	42.7%
2023	41.64	1700^th	3250	47.7%
2024	33.45	2297^th	3160	27.3%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Tumbleweed Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	40.12	1213^th	2420	49.9%
2024	30.22	1806^th	2634	31.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Tumbleweed Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	22.49	4296^th	5084	15.5%
2019	25.72	4180^th	5173	19.2%
2022	33.55	3543^rd	5264	32.7%
2023	32.84	3666^th	5374	31.8%
2024	32.24	3763^rd	5511	31.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Tumbleweed Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	14.13	4975^th	5413	8.1%
2019	20.11	4622^nd	5492	15.8%
2022	22.72	4436^th	5635	21.3%
2023	24.89	4249^th	5617	24.4%
2024	24.71	4274^th	5605	23.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Tumbleweed Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	28.02	1897^th	2585	26.6%
2022	17.33	2195^th	2227	1.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Tumbleweed Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	17.66	4770^th	5431	12.2%
2019	17.58	4856^th	5510	11.9%
2022	23.32	4397^th	5663	22.4%
2023	23.00	4447^th	5650	21.3%
2024	23.57	4396^th	5636	22.0%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Tumbleweed Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	29.72	507^th	700	27.6%
2019	21.76	640^th	747	14.3%
2022	23.17	575^th	663	13.3%
2023	42.64	326^th	662	50.8%
2024	38.57	334^th	593	43.7%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Tumbleweed Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	24.34	3947^th	4830	18.3%
2019	30.07	3689^th	4963	25.7%
2022	36.29	3195^th	5084	37.2%
2023	36.13	3213^th	5098	37.0%
2024	34.07	3412^th	5102	33.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Tumbleweed Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	589	21	21	119	26	n/a	n/a	0	776
1989	648	29	29	163	27	n/a	n/a	0	896
1990	664	32	39	210	22	n/a	n/a	0	967
1991	647	47	42	243	26	n/a	n/a	0	1005
1992	759	87	47	342	27	n/a	n/a	0	1262
1993	664	74	35	324	19	n/a	n/a	0	1116
1994	541	78	34	346	10	n/a	n/a	0	1009
1995	421	133	25	472	5	n/a	n/a	0	1056
1996	421	133	25	472	5	n/a	n/a	0	1056
1997	336	157	52	485	4	n/a	n/a	0	1034
1998	313	170	39	502	6	n/a	n/a	0	1030
1999	255	159	28	492	8	n/a	n/a	0	942
2000	251	189	17	525	10	n/a	n/a	4	996
2001	178	216	17	513	5	n/a	n/a	7	936
2002	125	210	12	642	6	n/a	n/a	4	999
2003	125	210	12	642	6	n/a	n/a	4	999
2004	132	259	11	874	9	n/a	n/a	0	1285
2005	88	212	14	866	9	n/a	n/a	69	1258
2006	75	193	12	879	8	n/a	n/a	83	1250
2007	65	137	10	853	7	n/a	n/a	67	1139
2008	54	115	10	797	6	n/a	n/a	0	982
2009	55	130	12	748	7	0	52	0	1004
2010	48	160	17	799	8	0	37	0	1069
2011	54	174	14	931	9	0	23	0	1205
2012	51	180	11	873	10	0	17	0	1142
2013	63	183	11	887	6	0	22	0	1172
2014	51	221	12	915	5	0	14	0	1218
2015	37	192	11	819	5	1	9	0	1074
2016	42	175	12	788	3	1	11	0	1032
2017	40	174	5	765	3	3	14	0	1004
2018	28	153	3	626	1	3	13	0	827
2019	21	143	2	616	2	3	17	0	804
2020	18	127	3	541	5	4	15	0	713
2021	12	107	1	522	6	7	9	0	664
2022	14	96	0	459	5	4	13	0	591
2023	14	121	2	460	6	3	17	0	623
2024	12	120	4	468	1	2	17	0	624

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Tumbleweed Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	776	27.0	28.7	n/a
1989	896	35.0	25.6	n/a
1990	967	37.0	26.1	n/a
1991	1005	40.0	25.1	n/a
1992	1262	40.6	31.0	29.7
1993	1116	41.0	27.2	35.5
1994	1009	41.0	24.6	40.8
1995	1056	36.6	28.9	52.3
1996	1056	36.6	28.9	52.3
1997	1034	38.0	27.2	59.9
1998	1030	44.5	23.1	57.9
1999	942	45.0	20.9	57.2
2000	996	47.0	21.2	82.2
2001	936	47.0	19.9	75
2002	999	48.0	20.8	73.5
2003	999	48.0	20.8	73.5
2004	1285	48.0	26.8	79.8
2005	1258	49.5	25.4	85.2
2006	1250	45.0	27.8	85.5
2007	1139	45.0	25.3	85.7
2008	982	44.0	22.3	64
2009	1004	40.0	22.8	61.4
2010	1069	44.0	24.3	91.5
2011	1205	n/a	n/a	84.7
2012	1142	42.0	27.1	n/a
2013	1172	40.0	29.2	93.2
2014	1218	40.0	30.4	94.1
2015	1074	39.0	27.5	93.2
2016	1032	37.0	27.8	93.7
2017	1004	39.5	25.4	93.3
2018	827	32.5	25.4	95.2
2019	804	32.6	24.6	94.8
2020	713	n/a	n/a	98
2021	664	26.0	25.5	98.8
2022	591	23.1	25.5	98
2023	623	22.2	28.0	95.8
2024	624	22.9	27.2	95.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Tumbleweed Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	776	27.0	28.7	n/a
1989	896	35.0	25.6	n/a
1990	967	37.0	26.1	n/a
1991	1005	40.0	25.1	n/a
1992	1262	40.6	31.0	29.7
1993	1116	41.0	27.2	35.5
1994	1009	41.0	24.6	40.8
1995	1056	36.6	28.9	52.3
1996	1056	36.6	28.9	52.3
1997	1034	38.0	27.2	59.9
1998	1030	44.5	23.1	57.9
1999	942	45.0	20.9	57.2
2000	996	47.0	21.2	82.2
2001	936	47.0	19.9	75
2002	999	48.0	20.8	73.5
2003	999	48.0	20.8	73.5
2004	1285	48.0	26.8	79.8
2005	1258	49.5	25.4	85.2
2006	1250	45.0	27.8	85.5
2007	1139	45.0	25.3	85.7
2008	982	44.0	22.3	64
2009	1004	40.0	22.8	61.4
2010	1069	44.0	24.3	91.5
2011	1205	n/a	n/a	84.7
2012	1142	42.0	27.1	n/a
2013	1172	40.0	29.2	93.2
2014	1218	40.0	30.4	94.1
2015	1074	39.0	27.5	93.2
2016	1032	37.0	27.8	93.7
2017	1004	39.5	25.4	93.3
2018	827	32.5	25.4	95.2
2019	804	32.6	24.6	94.8
2020	713	n/a	n/a	98
2021	664	26.0	25.5	98.8
2022	591	23.1	25.5	98
2023	623	22.2	28.0	95.8
2024	624	22.9	27.2	95.8

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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